Midnight Call
by Crazy-McWritesalot
Summary: "One thing I love about this century is cellphones. However, I've found that my list of things you don't say via letter still stands, even though letters have gone out of style." A couple of weeks after Pete and Myka left H.G in Boone, someone shows up at the B&B in the middle of the night. My way of coping with Instinct. I hope it's realistic enough :).
1. Chapter 1

**Here I am again, trying to cope with Instinct... This is going to be a two shots. It's set about two weeks after Instinct. I hope you'll like it :D. Also, don't hesitate to drop a review - These are always nice - or join me on my facebook - link in my profile.**

Artie had already retired to the warehouse for the night when the doorbell rang, echoing through the B&B, making everyone jump at the unfamiliar sound.

Abigail, Myka, Steve and Claudia, who had been companionably playing Monopoly for the last two hours, looked at one another. It was already strange to find someone ringing during day time, but at night? That was suspicious, and the atmosphere changed as everyone tensed.

"Maybe Pete ordered a pizza?" Claudia suggested.

Myka shook her head.

"He's sleeping." she answered, wondering if her partner's skills included ordering food while asleep.

But really, had Pete ordered food, awake or not, he would have been pacing back and forth between the living room and the front door, impatiently glancing at his watch and groaning, waiting for the delivery man to actually deliver.

"Should I go open the door?" Abigail asked, whispering and leaning forward to put the dice slowly back down on the table soundlessly, as if afraid that their visitor would hear her.  
Once again, glances were exchanged. Yet, this time, there was no doubt they were silently planning. With one last glance at Myka, Claudia nodded.

"Yeah. Steve and I will cover your back. Myka will go out the back door and get them by surprise." She explained.  
They all jumped to their feet, and Myka headed to the dining room, where she did her best to open the glass door without a sound.  
Steve and Claudia each took a side of the arch separating the living room from the hallway, teslas in hands, and motioned for Abigail to go open the door.

"That's all so very reassuring." The proprietor mouthed before she went past them, swallowing hard.  
She hesitated a few seconds with her hand on the handle before she finally worked the nerve to open it.  
The cool night air brushed past her, and she found herself facing a rather harmless-looking woman in her thirties, who flashed a sheepish smile at her. Her dignified looks and silky black hair looked somewhat familiar to Abigail, as if she had seen a picture of her.  
"Good evening. I'm awfully sorry to bother you at such an undue hour. I – Is Myka here?" The brunette asked in an unmistakably English accent.  
Abigail opened her mouth to answer, but Claudia's squeal cut her.

"Oh my freaking, non-existent God! Is that H.G?!"

The young woman ran past Abigail, dodging her, and threw herself at the visitor who looked clearly taken aback as she was suddenly firmly clasped against Claudia. It took Helena a few seconds to register the situation and hug Claudia back, awkwardly patting her back.

"Keep asphyxiating me and you might have to switch to past tense, darling." She finally remarked with an impish smile.  
Claudia quickly set her free, still holding her by the shoulder as if she expected her to run off.  
"Sorry, I'm so glad to see you and I've missed you so very much and... Hey, are you gonna stay?!"

From behind Abigail, Steve cleared his throat, effectively putting an end to Claudia's joyous demonstration of affection for the artificer. The two women followed his gaze.

Myka was standing a few meters away. She was completely still, and she looked lost, as if wondering whether she was hallucinating or not. Claudia noticed the sad look in her friend's eyes, and she took a step back, letting go of Helena's shoulders.

"But you're here to see Mykes. Got it. Just come give me a goodnight hug before you decide to vanish into the night again, will you?" She asked.  
The older woman smiled at her fondly, and nodded. It didn't escape Claudia that her face mirrored the look in Myka's eyes, so she retreated inside of the house, leaving the two alone with whatever the matter was.

"Helena..." Myka whispered when the door was closed and they were perfectly alone for the first time in ages.  
When the writer was close enough for her to register the scent of her perfume, Myka finally seemed to become aware of Helena's presence, and she flipped out.  
"Are you alright? Has something happened? It's about Adelaide, isn't it?"  
Helena shook her head, smiling kindly.  
"Myka!" She snapped, getting the agent's attention. "Adelaide is perfectly fine. I came here to have a chat." She finished, nervously fidgeting with her pendant.

Myka raised an eyebrow.

"You came all the way from Boone to have a midnight chat? Couldn't you have called?" She asked, still not convinced that everything was alright. How strange was it that she could understand this woman so completely and yet not be able to tell whether she could just turn up without any reason to socialize in the middle of the night or not.

"One thing I love about this century is cellphones. However, I've found that my list of things you don't say via letter still stands, even though letters have gone out of style." Helena confirmed, laughing nervously.

"And?"

"And begging for forgiveness is one of them."


	2. Chapter 2

Myka fumbled for words, opening and closing her mouth like some kind of fish out of the water. When her eyes caught Helena's gaze, she took a deep breath. More than the touch of the moon, there was that glimmer of desperation in these riveting black eyes, the same one that had inhabited them in Boone when they had said goodbye. She swallowed hard as their last conversation replayed in her head.  
"I thought we were okay." She uttered at last.  
Helena flashed her a small, shy smile, and looked up when the intimacy the moonlight was giving them was broken by a light coming from the first floor of the B&B. Myka followed her gaze. Pete was awake for his midnight snack, if not because of the commotion.

"Shall we take a walk?" Helena asked.  
It occurred to Myka that taking a walk in the middle of the night was not the safest decision ever, but this was Univille, MON – Standing for Middle Of Nowhere, Claudia's neologism. Moreover, she was with a master of karate, or kenpo, and she was still holding her tesla. They were safe as safe could be. When she realized she was still firmly gripping her gun, Myka snapped out of her reverie and pocketed it precipitately. It felt too much like they _were_ forever destined to meet at gunpoint.  
"Sure. After you." She sighed.  
They left the grounds of the B&B, plunging in the darkness, walking in an awkward silence that didn't sound like them. Both women looked up at the stars for a second, wondering if that was it – the end of their easy complicity. They turned left when they reached the end of the street, their steps instinctively leading them towards the warehouse instead of the center of Univille.

"What is it you want to be forgiven for, Helena?" Myka finally asked when it was clear H.G wasn't going to speak unless invited to.

When Helena started playing with her necklace again, giving her friend no sign that she was going to turn to her, Myka stopped her with a hand on her arm, and forced the brunette to face her. The Englishwoman looked surprised by the sudden gesture, and Myka bit her lip at the sight of her hair bouncing around her face and these pinkish lips slightly parted in mute protestation. Helena's gaze caught hers before quickly falling to the floor as the woman brought the tip of two fingers to her lips. Myka knew what this sign meant. She was struggling to find the right words. Yet it always looked like she'd just been kissed, and it made Myka's heart clench.

"How about you tell me what's wrong, so that we can quickly walk back to the B&B where it's warm and cozy? We obviously need to get you to bed too. I hate to tell you this, but you look awful."

That got a raised eyebrow from Helena.  
Myka was right. She had driven through the country, alone with her thoughts and feelings, counting down the miles separating her from Univille in that feverish state that belongs to liars about to reveal their true nature. And she was exhausted. Myka's mothering tone brought a smile to her lips.  
"If I didn't know you better, I'd think you were trying to seduce me, agent Bering." She teased.  
Myka snickered, but she sincerely hoped the darkness would hide the blush she felt creeping up on her face. She didn't know what to answer, so she didn't say anything, waiting for Helena to explain what was troubling her so much. Yet, it seemed that their banter had broken the ice, for the silence that floated between them was now a familiar one. Silence was an old friend of theirs. Whereas Pete and Claudia couldn't stand not talking for more than ten seconds at a time, H.G and Myka had no problem sitting around together in companionable silence, reading, tinkering, cooking or even doing crossword puzzles.

This kind of silence was soothing, and Myka would have been glad to stay there, rediscovering what being together felt like. But the wind blew a black curl across Helena's face, and the agent saw her shiver, bringing her back to Earth. She took both of the brunette's hands in hers and stared at her fondly.  
"Helena, talk to me. Please?"  
Helena sighed and gazed at their locked hands.

"Alright. You were right Myka." She said, tracing small circles on the back of the agent's hand with her thumb. "It's not like me."  
Myka shook her head, but Helena shushed her before she could stop her in the middle of her explanation.  
"No, let me speak. I said things I'm far from being proud of, and I've hurt you. And _that_ is not like me." She finished.  
She looked truly sorry, and Myka tightened her grip on her hands in a vain attempt to comfort her.  
"Helena. I don't even remember what you said. Okay? It's all forgotten."  
The inventor's composure changed. Her gaze darkened and her tone grew cold.  
"Oh really? Let me refresh your memory. I told you that for the first time this century, I felt like I belonged, and that was thanks to Nate." She repeated.  
Once again, Myka felt her heart sink, proving Helena right. She did remember all too clearly. And it still hurt.  
"Myka, darling... I didn't mean to imply you were not home to me."  
The young woman didn't notice the tear running down her own face until Helena freed one of her hands from hers to dry it off, brushing her cold fingers against her cheek.

"What did you mean then?" She asked, her voice catching in her throat, making it sound slightly pathetic.  
"What I meant is – You, my dearest one, make me feel like I belong with you. Yet you belong here, with the warehouse. And my history with warehouse 13 has been quite the bumpy road. I wish there was a way to erase all the terrible things I've done in the past, but I simply can't. How could I be sure that nobody is going to have me point a gun at your head again? Worse still, how can I trust myself around artifacts that could easily destroy this world if I set my mind to it?" Helena clarified calmly, her hands never breaking contact with Myka's skin, her eyes never leaving Myka's.

The agent didn't want to cry. She really didn't. But she couldn't help it. She was relieved that the feelings were mutual – which she had not doubted until Boone. But JESUS how infuriating this woman could be at times!

"Artie trusts you. That has to count for something." She choked, shivering under Helena's cold but tender touch.

Hearing about Artie in the midst of _the_ conversation made Helena's lips twitch.

"I'm glad he does. And I'm even more delighted that you do too, even after everything. There's one thing you've got to know, though. Each time I'm around the warehouse, it brings me back to all those years I spent trapped in the bronze sector, alone with my obsession. I cannot possibly live this way. Not _even_ if it meant being with you." As soon as she was finished, H.G felt she had been too brutal, even by her standards. "And I trust you know how much I would bear so as to be with you." She added in a whisper, brushing a curl of Myka's hair behind her ear.

"You never told me any of that." The agent sighed.

The look of adoration hidden between Myka's tears was all too much for Helena, so she took a step back. She crossed her arms on her chest, and took a deep breath, trying to replace Myka's scent with fresh air, hoping to clear her mind. This was not the way she had planned to broach the subject, but at least it was out now.

"There was never time for confessions. Let alone the _right_ time." She reminded, tilting her head to the side.

And Myka was forced to admit she had a point.

"So that's what you came here for? Tell me you love me but you can't _be_ with me? Do you expect me to forgive you for that too? 'Cause, honestly, I'm not sure I can."

Helena held Myka's gaze for what felt like forever, speechless, until her vision blurred and she realized she was crying too. She averted her gaze, looking at the wind blowing in the trees nearby. It suddenly felt it had been a terrible idea to have come to Univille to have a heartfelt conversation with the woman she adored. Had it been selfish? Maybe. Most of what Helena Wells did was. She closed her eyes for a split second, and let her arms fall to her side as her shoulders slumped.

"I owed you the truth." She stated. "Whether you forgive me or not is up to you and you only."

Myka nodded. In the midst of all the contradicting thoughts and feelings she was harboring, she could still see that Helena was baring her soul for her to see, and she couldn't help admire the courage she was displaying. It occurred to her that she might not have done the same thing.

The tension of the moment was broken by Myka's cellphone, vibrating in the back pocket of her jeans, startling her. With an apologetic glance at Helena, she took the phone out, hoping to God there was no emergency that had anything to do with fudge. She smiled when she read Claudia's text, announcing that Pete had taken after her in their Monopoly game and subsequently lost. The text ended with a " _PS: Tell H.G. I'll never forgive her if she doesn't bring her cute little ass back in here in time for my bedtime story.",_ which made Myka snort.

"Claudia's getting impatient." She explained, showing her screen to Helena, who smirked.

"Let's go back, then." The Englishwoman proposed. "If that's alright with you?" She added, eying her friend to look for the slightest sign that she wanted her gone.  
Her doubts weren't lost on Myka, who tried to erase all signs she had been crying by running her hands on her cheeks before she smiled.  
"Yeah, sure."

Before she turned away to lead the way back to the B&B, she extended her hand for Helena to take. They walked hand in hand, and for a while, it felt as if everything was as it should be.

"I would have chosen you. You know? I would still choose you. I'd leave the warehouse."

Helena looked up at Myka, and for a second, she thought she had hallucinated. She was looking right ahead of her, as if what she had just said was of no more importance than what she had eaten for diner.  
"This is why I did not tell you about how I felt sooner. If anything, I'm the living proof that the world needs you. I cannot ask you to stop saving the world on my behalf. Besides, the warehouse is your family. I would not dream of taking you away from them. What kind of monster would I be?"

Myka didn't answer. She only squeezed H.G's hand in hers, and slowed down when they turned into the street where the B&B was still alight at some distance.

"So what now? Are you going back to your soccer mom life in Wisconsin?" She asked.

Helena sighed. One of the reasons she was spending the night in Univille was that she had felt the need to spend some time away from Nate and Adelaide. Nate was still trying to process that the woman he had taken into his home, his bed and his heart was not who she had told him she was. They had both talked about it extensively, and in time, they could have recovered from the multiple blows their couple had suffered. Yet, Helena was afraid that her mere presence could put Nate and his sweet, sweet Adelaide in danger. And she loved both of them too much to take that risk.

"Only for a few days." She said. "You were right about that too. Nate is a good man, but the main reason we got together is Adelaide. I needed a daughter, and they needed a mother and a wife." She concluded.

"Seems like the perfect compromise to me." Myka argued, trying to put her jealousy aside for the sake of helping her friend.  
"Yes. I like to call this relationship 'reasonable love'. And it might have worked a little while without the intervention of an artifact. Except that I've always been the passionate kind, and the object of my current passion is right here, and not attainable."  
Myka was about to joke on how cheesy that sounded coming from the dark H.G. Wells, 'father' of science-fiction, when it struck her that she _was_ the object of her passion. She blushed in realization, and had to clear her throat. How did Helena want to stay friends if she couldn't keep from flirting? She was intoxicating, and she surely knew she was.  
The agent stopped dead in her tracks and faced Helena, who didn't look a bit taken aback by this sudden move.

"I'm gonna do something stupid. But I couldn't care less." the young woman announced.  
And just like that, she caught Helena by the shoulder and pulled her in for a searing kiss. The artificer's lips, pliant against hers, tasted of cherry-scented lipstick, and it made her smile in the kiss, when she realized H.G. Wells had used _her_ lipstick, the one that had gone missing months before .

It took Helena about a quarter of a second to react to Myka's reckless action. She threw all caution away, refusing to listen to the reasonable part of her brain, choosing to follow the sound of the butterflies' wings, and she ran her free hand in Myka's curls, looking for leverage in their fight for domination. She wanted nothing more than to give herself to this woman, to let her in, show her what she felt, let her see the fire raging inside of her old heart. She bit Myka's lower lip gently but firmly, punishing her for initiating the kiss that would haunt her for years, but she let her tongue slip inside her mouth.  
By the time they separated, out of breath, their bodies had found each other, pulled by magnetic force.

"It was a mistake." Myka uttered, even though she showed no desire to take her hands away from Helena's jaw and neck.  
The writer emitted a sound that was halfway between a moan and a laugh and her eyes fluttered open, showing how dilated her pupils were.  
"I've made my fair share of mistakes, and I can assure you, darling, none of them ever felt so fitting." She teased, her eyes sparkling with mischief and – Myka realized – love. It dawned on her that she would now forever be visited by this image in the dead of night. Charcoal eyes burning with devotion.

"And yet, it was our first and last kiss. Right?"

Helena smiled softly.  
"I've got a very good – vibe, as Pete would say, about us. Myka... I will still be around, as a retirement plan, when the time comes." She vowed, softly tracing the slightly taller woman's cheekbone with her thumb.

Myka rolled her eyes.  
"That might be in a very long time, if ever. Look at Artie. I won't ask you to wait for me."  
Helena shrugged.  
"You don't have to ask. Listen-" She ran a hand through her hair, nervously. "Anyone could have Emily Lake. But you, Myka Bering, ruined H.G Wells for anyone else." She said, as if it was self-evident.

Myka blushed again. Maybe she needed to have a little faith, let the warehouse decide.  
She hugged Helena quickly, not able to return such a meaningful statement. When the atmosphere was less loaded with emotions, they took a step back and exchanged a friendly smile.

"Alright. Now if everything is settled, I have to kill Pete for losing _my_ game." Myka concluded, tilting her head towards the B&B.  
Her declaration was met with Helena's most malicious smile.  
"Now that's something I would very much like to see." She said, winking.  
"After you, milady."

 ***stops writing abruptly, as if out of a trance* Seriously? Okay, Helena was only supposed to be forgiven for all the awfully painful things she told Mykes in Boone... But, okay, why not. Fate decided they should become an artifact. *shrugs* Who's against that, anyway? ;)**


End file.
